Pierre Pucheu
Encyclopedia
Pierre Firmin Pucheu was a French
industrialist, fascist
and member of the Vichy government
.
in Paris
where he was a contemporary of both Robert Brasillach
and Jean-Paul Sartre
. Initially intending to follow the path of a writer himself, he became enamoured of capitalism
in Paris and determined instead to enter the business world. He was ultimately drawn to the steel industry and eventually came to head up one of the largest monopolies, the Cartel d'Acier.
Initially showing little real interest in politics, his interest was sparked by the 6 February 1934 crisis
and he became associated first with the Croix-de-Feu
and then with Jacques Doriot
's Parti Populaire Français
before splitting from the latter group in 1938 over Doriot's financial links with Nazi Germany
and Fascist Italy
.
who ensured that he was given the position of Minister of Industrial Production in 1941, before being promoted to Minister of the Interior
later that same year. In the latter role he became noted for his heavy-handed approach, notably selecting personally 89 hostages for execution in October 1941 in reprisal for the killing of German officers. He also formed the Police aux Questions Juives in 1941 and took personal charge of the organisation. He was also responsible for setting up the SPAC anti-communist police force, the anti-Masonic
Service for Secret Societies and the Amicales de France, which served as the propaganda
arm of Vichy.
According to Joseph Barthélemy
Pucheu, who had a violent hatred of Communists
and Jews
, was a convinced Nazi. However, Pucheu actually wanted to model France's economy on Nazi Germany's rather than being fully convinced of the merits of occupation, and as such the Germans called for him to be replaced in April 1942. As part of a loose intellectual movement known as the jeunes cyclists, Pucheu quickly came to terms with Germany was the leader of Europe
but hoped that economic renewal would ensure France would be one of the leading secondary powers in this new order. In government Pucheu has been characterised, along with the likes of Jean Bichelonne
, Jacques Barnaud
and François Lehideux
, as a technocrat who helped to ensure that the Vichy regime was able to take on the administrative functions of a government.
, which remained under Vichy control. However, after the Free French forces took charge Pucheu soon started moving around North Africa until he was arrested in Casablanca
and brought to trial. The following year Charles de Gaulle
ensured that the captured Pucheu faced the death penalty in order to undermine any further collaboration in France. He was the first of the leading collaborationist figures to be executed directly under de Gaulle's jurisdiction.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
industrialist, fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and member of the Vichy government
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
.
Early years
The son of a tailor from southwest France, Pucheu won a scholarship to the École Normale SupérieureÉcole Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he was a contemporary of both Robert Brasillach
Robert Brasillach
Robert Brasillach was a French author and journalist. Brasillach is best known as the editor of Je suis partout, a nationalist newspaper which came to advocate various fascist movements and supported Jacques Doriot...
and Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
. Initially intending to follow the path of a writer himself, he became enamoured of capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
in Paris and determined instead to enter the business world. He was ultimately drawn to the steel industry and eventually came to head up one of the largest monopolies, the Cartel d'Acier.
Initially showing little real interest in politics, his interest was sparked by the 6 February 1934 crisis
6 February 1934 crisis
The 6 February 1934 crisis refers to an anti-parliamentarist street demonstration in Paris organized by far-right leagues that culminated in a riot on the Place de la Concorde, near the seat of the French National Assembly...
and he became associated first with the Croix-de-Feu
Croix-de-Feu
Croix-de-Feu was a French far right league of the Interwar period, led by Colonel François de la Rocque . After it was dissolved, as were all other far right leagues during the Popular Front period , de la Rocque replaced it with the Parti social français .- Beginnings :The Croix-de-Feu were...
and then with Jacques Doriot
Jacques Doriot
Jacques Doriot was a French politician prior to and during World War II. He began as a Communist but then turned Fascist.-Early life and politics:...
's Parti Populaire Français
Parti Populaire Français
The Parti Populaire Français was a fascist political party led by Jacques Doriot before and during World War II...
before splitting from the latter group in 1938 over Doriot's financial links with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and Fascist Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
.
Vichy
After the occupation his political profile rose as he was pushed by industrialist allies in charge of Le TempsLe Temps (Paris)
Le Temps was one of Paris's most important daily newspapers from April 25, 1861 to November 30, 1942.Founded in 1861 by Edmund Chojecki and Auguste Nefftzer, Le Temps was under Nefftzer's direction for ten years, when Adrien Hébrard took his place...
who ensured that he was given the position of Minister of Industrial Production in 1941, before being promoted to Minister of the Interior
Minister of the Interior (France)
The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes...
later that same year. In the latter role he became noted for his heavy-handed approach, notably selecting personally 89 hostages for execution in October 1941 in reprisal for the killing of German officers. He also formed the Police aux Questions Juives in 1941 and took personal charge of the organisation. He was also responsible for setting up the SPAC anti-communist police force, the anti-Masonic
Anti-Masonry
Anti-Masonry is defined as "avowed opposition to Freemasonry". However, there is no homogeneous anti-Masonic movement...
Service for Secret Societies and the Amicales de France, which served as the propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
arm of Vichy.
According to Joseph Barthélemy
Joseph Barthélemy
Joseph Barthélemy was a French jurist, politician and journalist. Initially a critic of Nazi Germany, he would go on to serve as a minister in the collaborationist Vichy regime.-Early years:...
Pucheu, who had a violent hatred of Communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, was a convinced Nazi. However, Pucheu actually wanted to model France's economy on Nazi Germany's rather than being fully convinced of the merits of occupation, and as such the Germans called for him to be replaced in April 1942. As part of a loose intellectual movement known as the jeunes cyclists, Pucheu quickly came to terms with Germany was the leader of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
but hoped that economic renewal would ensure France would be one of the leading secondary powers in this new order. In government Pucheu has been characterised, along with the likes of Jean Bichelonne
Jean Bichelonne
Jean Bichelonne was a French businessman and member of the Vichy government that existed during World War II following the occupation of France by Nazi Germany....
, Jacques Barnaud
Jacques Barnaud
Jacques Barnaud was a French banker, businessman and member of the collaborationist Vichy regime during the Second World War....
and François Lehideux
François Lehideux
François Lehideux was a French industrialist and member of the Vichy government.-Car industry:...
, as a technocrat who helped to ensure that the Vichy regime was able to take on the administrative functions of a government.
Later years
Deprived of his position Pucheu left France in 1943 and settled in French AlgeriaFrench Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
, which remained under Vichy control. However, after the Free French forces took charge Pucheu soon started moving around North Africa until he was arrested in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
and brought to trial. The following year Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
ensured that the captured Pucheu faced the death penalty in order to undermine any further collaboration in France. He was the first of the leading collaborationist figures to be executed directly under de Gaulle's jurisdiction.